The Siege
by Proudturtlecrab
Summary: "The young warrior from the Southern Water tribe wasn't used to the feeling of being overwhelmed with happiness. Being overwhelmed with sadness was another thing but the simple event of seeing this beautiful girl made him forget his worries." A retelling of the episodes of A:TLA pertaining to the Siege of the North in my own words. The FABULOUS COVER ART was done by ofpink on dA


**Chapter One: For Sore Eyes Sight**

The icy air of the far north chilled Sokka's bones. It was unusual for him to be cold, considering he and his sister were from the Southern Water Tribe. He hung his arms off the back of Appa's saddle, watching the freezing waters grow closer and closer as the bison's elevation lowered.

"I'm not one to complain," he said, lowering his head to his shoulder. "But can't Appa fly _any_ higher?" The bison's feet dragged over the frigid water.

"I've have an idea!" The avatar turned around from his "driver's seat" and pointed a finger at Sokka. "Why don't we all get on _your _back and _you_ can fly us to the North Pole?!"

There was no way Sokka was going to let Air Boy get away with talking to him like that. "I'd love to!" he muttered over his shoulder. "Climb on everyone!" The teenager wiggled his bottom. "Sokka is ready for take off!" Momo jumped at the chance of a free ride and hopped on Sokka's back. It didn't surprise anyone though; Momo loves to play.

Katara waved her hands up and down. She glanced back and forth at the bickering boys. "Look. We're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."

Antagonistically, Sokka turned around. He sat Indian style with Momo resting in his lap. "And for what?" The whining in his voice became prevalent. His face sunk, "We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here," he spoke defiantly. The new _family_ had been traveling towards Sokka and Katara's sister tribe. Katara and Aang needed a waterbending master and Sokka just needed a getaway from the boring, old South Pole.

There was nothing ahead of them except mixes of blue and white. Here and there, there were scattered ice bergs. Sokka frowned as he remembered that he never got the chance to go on his right of passage journey. In the Water Tribes, children of age fourteen are taken ice dodging. They are expected to maneuver their boat through the ice. Chief Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father, had left to fight in the war before Sokka had turned fourteen. It took a serious toll on the siblings even though they still had their Gran Gran. Hakoda's leaving was the reason Sokka and Katara were so close.

Suddenly, the water beneath the bison's feet started to rumble. More ice bergs started to appear out of nowhere! That didn't just happen! The travelers screamed and Aang pulled sharply on Appa's reins. The giant creature just made it out of the way of the mysterious berg.

Despite his best efforts, Appa's foot clipped the very tip of a berg. The three, plus Appa and Momo, were sent spiraling into the water. With a giant crash, they landed back in the water as a sheet of ice took dominance over Appa. From behind the ice bergs, ships started to emerge. _"People!" _Sokka thought, "_Maybe they have some meat!_" His mouth watered with the thought but he pushed it from his head. This was no time to be thinking about food!

Realization struck Katara as she noticed the familiar patterns on the clothing of the sailors. "They're water benders! We found the Water Tribe!" Katara may have been excited, but Sokka was just annoyed. The hypocrite rubbed his head. He only liked sneak attacks if _he_ was the one doing them! Six ships surrounded them.

"State your business." A young adult with dark hair from the boat ahead of Aang spoke up.

"I'm the Avatar." Aang said as he stood on top of Appa's head.

"Nice to meet you, Avatar." The young man seemed unsure. "Last I heard, the Avatar was not alive."

"It's a long story, hahaha." Aang reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

"Hmmm. You're tattoos seem legitimate. I suppose your arrival is something worth looking into. I will take you to our Tribe where you will meet our Chief. My name is Kuruk." Kuruk formed a fist with his left hand and placed his open, right hand over his knuckles at an angle, bowing slightly. The rest of the men on the ships did the same.

Aang bowed back. "Your name is very familiar," Aang mentioned. "But I just can't put my finger on it."

"I am named for one of your past lives, young Avatar."

"Right! Avatar Kuruk! I remember now."

"Perhaps you could fill me in on that long story of yours on our journey back to the Tribe."

"That sounds reasonable," Aang said with a goofy smile.

'Your bison seems tired." Appa gave a long and staggering yawn. "Just have him swim, following our ships. He seems to have enough fur as to where he will not feel the cold."

"Sure thing! Not a problem. You heard him buddy, let's go."

"Sokka! Can you believe this?! We're actually going to the Northern Water Tribe!" Katara was giddy with excitement as she jumped up and down on Appa's saddle. "I'm a waterbender too!" She repeated this statement many times but the men on the boats seemed to give her dirty looks. This was much to her dismay. What were their problems? She was proud of her abilities, just like they were!

The small navy fleet and Appa started floating through the water towards the great Northern Water Tribe.

**.**

**. .**

**. . .**

**. . . .**

**. . . . .**

**. . . . . .**

With three accompanying ships on each side, the Avatar and his friends caught their first look at the Northern Water Tribe.

"There it is!" Aang shouted as he stood up and pointed north.

Set underneath an azure colored sky with marsh- mellow clouds stood the ice wall of the Northern Water Tribe. Joy flooded all three of the travelers' emotions. The circular symbol of both tribes was carved deep into the front of the wall. About a quarter of it was a diagram of the crescent moon. The rest of the design was waved lines to represent the ocean. Ice watch towers peeked from behind the walls with pointed tips, aiming towards the sky.

"The Northern Water Tribe." Katara beamed at her sister tribe with awe significantly evident in her voice.

"We're finally here." Even Sokka was happy to be somewhere he was not used to being, which was not normal.

As the fleet and bison neared the wall, the waterbenders on the ships took their positions. They all stood in somewhat of a ready stance with their knees bent. Their hands came up from their sides and circled to the top of their bodies. When the sea of arms all reached the area of their heads, they shot back down towards the sea. A large, half circle shape became visible as that specific vicinity of ice melted and rejoined the ocean. A tunnel was formed. One of the head benders motioned his arms to the three as to welcome them into the city. Aang bowed his head and steered Appa through the man made tunnel.

They found themselves surrounded by four walls. Of course, they were made of ice. Benders stood at the very top of each wall. They raised their arms in the same manner the fleet benders did and the ice walls melted, except the pillars the benders stood on. The newly formed water flooded the hole and Appa rose slowly with the tide.

"I can't believe how many waterbenders live up here!" Katara was not used to seeing waterbenders but the sight was not something she regretted.

"We'll find a master to teach us, no problem!" Aang was just excited as Katara. He would finally be taking the next step in his Avatar journey and what made it even better was the fact that Katara would be by his side.

A guide raft was sent to lead the esteemed guests through the canals of the tribe. Native people in their fur coats all leaned over the edges of the ice streets to catch a glimpse of their guests.

Huge, arching bridges hung high over the canals. Ecstatic eyes watched Sokka, Katara, and the Avatar. Men, women, and children alike gawked at the sight of a sky bison floating in their canals and a flying lemur dancing in the saddle.

Aang waved as everyone stared. He loved the attention but history can say that Aang was a bit of an attention snob, like when they were back on Kyoshi Island.

Marvelous fountains spewed gorgeous, satin blue colored water. Katara strained her neck to see if there were any Water Tribe coins at the bottom. She caught the glisten of some coins. Closing her eyes, she thought about the coins and imagined the wishes behind them.

An elongated canal boat with a defiant, tipped point and stunning patterns and carvings caught Sokka's eye. A young lady dressed in the abnormal purple hue sat at the front, smiling. What was even more different about her was the fact that her hair was as white as unspoiled snow. Two long braids lay on her chest while the rest of her hair was tied up in an elegant style. She must be royalty. Her ocean colored eyes sparkled and were framed by a set of long, dark and curly eyelashes. Soft pink lips added to her beauty.

The mysteriously beautiful girl stared straight ahead as she passed the bison. Sokka felt the heat rise into his cheeks. They took on a rosy color as a goofy smile showed on his face.

"This place is beautiful," Katara marveled.

Sokka hopped from his seat on Appa's saddle and made his way down to the bison's furry tail. Unaware that Katara was talking about the city and not the girl he was smitten with, Sokka said in a daze "Yeah. She is.." His mouth hung open and his tongue began to dry out. He was now looking at the back of the girl and still couldn't get her face out of his head. Katara glanced back over her shoulder at her brother. She tapped Aang on the shoulder and they both giggled at Sokka's newly perplexed state.

The young warrior from the Southern Water tribe wasn't used to the feeling over being overwhelmed with happiness. Being overwhelmed with sadness was another thing but the simple event of seeing this beautiful girl made him forget his worries. In that one moment, it was like the hardships in his life never happened. His mother was not dead, the War was not underway, and for a smaller issue, he was no longer focused on his hunger. The only hardship he would face now was getting the chance to see this mysterious girl again in the remaining time he had left in the great Northern Water Tribe.

**A/N:**

Hey everybody! I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter! There will definitely be more to come!

-**COVER ART**: Done by ofpink, who is a very skilled Deviant Art member. Check out her gallery and trust me; You will NOT be disappointed!

Until next time!

Rock on little turtle- crabs! \m/


End file.
